The government officially decided Friday to prepare to ratify an international treaty that prevents cross-border parental child abductions.The decision came just in time for Prime Minister Naoto Kan to announce it at next week’s Group of Eight summit meeting in France.

But since there is strong opposition to the pact in both the ruling and opposition camps, as well as from the public, it remains unclear how soon the Diet can actually agree to conclude the treaty and enact related domestic laws.At a news conference Friday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano explained that Japan decided to join the 1980 Hague Convention on Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction from the viewpoint of “children’s welfare.”“When (a marriage) crosses borders, the situation becomes increasingly difficult and the Hague Treaty is a certain standard or rule in the international community,” Edano said. “I believe it is desirable for Japan to be consistent with this standard amid deepening ties on various levels with the international society.”